Powered surgical instruments have been developed for use in many orthopedic ear-nose-throat (ENT) operations as well as other operations in and around the skull. One type of cutting instrument includes a bur supported by an inner tubular member that is rotatable with respect to an outer tubular member. The bur is used to debride a target tissue of a treatment site. In many instances, the bur and/or treatment site are irrigated to facilitate lubrication of the treatment site as well as to cool the bur. In other instances, aspiration is applied to the treatment site to remove debrided tissue as well as to remove excess fluid.
In some current cutting instruments, the inner tubular assembly can employ a spring section to impart flexibility into the instrument. While the added flexibility is gained, the corresponding bur coupled with the inner tubular member can experience significant axial movement with respect to the outer tubular member. This axial movement can add undesired stress to the inner tubular member. Additionally, the axial movement presents difficulty in tracking a location of the bur relative to a patient or positions within a patient anatomy, for example when employing instrument tracking and navigation technology. Accordingly, surgical instruments with a distal bur exhibiting axial movement can reduce the effectiveness of micro-debriding instruments by increasing stress on an inner tubular member and preventing accurate tracking of the instrument.